Transcending Time
by Cyndercrys
Summary: Zelda, on accident, discovered the Spiritual Stones and the Master Sword in the depths of Hyrule Castle. After showing Link and recounting the infamous legend surrounding them, she decides it would be best to hide the Stones from evil and build a temple for the Sword. But certain memories are triggered; memories of an age long gone... ST/OoT
1. Objects

**Original post date: May 20, 2012**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Link found himself being dragged through the underground corridors of the castle he knew now by heart. "Zelda," he whispered in the darkness, "we've been down here a million times. What's so important?"

"I told you: I found something. Something I think you should see." She held up the torch to light another in the room they found themselves in.

To his knowledge, this room was where the cluttered storage areas ended. "I don't see anything."

"Hold on a minute!" She ran her hand over the wall, tapping her nails along the stone before finally pushing against a section. It slid back easily and soon a secret door swung open. The Princess smiled at his surprised expression. "You see?"

"What is this?"

"You'll see." She led him inside, where she placed the torch against a groove in the wall. The flame traveled the groove, lighting the room around them brightly.

He stepped toward the middle of the strange new place. A glass case holding three stones—a ruby, sapphire, and en emerald, maybe?—lay to his right. He turned to the left to see Zelda taking a blue instrument of sorts from another case. "Zelda… What is all this stuff?"

She shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure. I was looking for an old book of mine I put down here for safekeeping when I tripped and happened to press that stone." She held up the object in her hand. "Link, I think… I think this may be the Ocarina of Time."

"The Oca—what?" He reached out to take it from her.

"Don't tell me you've never heard the story!" She refused to give it to him. "Come on, everyone knows at least a snippet of the old legend…"

"Well, I don't, apparently."

She sighed and sat down on the stone ground. "Come on, this might take a while…" She waited until he was seated before her to continue. "All right, as you know, this is technically 'new' Hyrule. But it hasn't been called that for over seventy-five years now, so people sort of forgot. It's been a little over a hundred years since my grandmother founded this country, but Link, do you know why they did?"

He shrugged.

"Because one hundred years before _that_ , the world was flooded. Old Hyrule flooded because it was invaded by evil and the three goddesses wanted to protect the Hylians, but in order to do so, they had to first wipe out the evil."

Link stopped her. "You told me that Old Hyrule was at the bottom of the ocean. That's what Tetra's journals said, right?"

"Right. Because the goddesses drowned it. The only reason why it wasn't protected in the first place was because the princess, apparently also named Zelda—"

"I think it's a family name."

She stared at him for a single moment before continuing. "Anyway, she had sent the hero on a quest to save Hyrule, which he did, but when she sent him back in time to relive the childhood she took from him, he left. And when you rewind time, it tends to repeat itself."

"So because he wasn't there, Hyrule was invaded."

"Yep. The one flaw in her plan." Zelda stood up, gesturing to the stones. "Link, she sent him to get these stones, the Spiritual Stones, so she could prove to her father that the new delegate was an evil, terrible man. When he murdered the king, she grabbed this ocarina and managed to throw it to him as she fled the castle with her nanny. She left instructions for him to go into the Temple of Time, and open the Door of Time."

"Spiritual Stones, huh?" He picked up the emerald and turned it over in his hand. The gold glinted in the torchlight.

She nodded. "But when he opened the Door of Time, he found… Well, he found _that_ , Link." She pointed to a pedestal at the far end of the room.

He walked over to it, mesmerized by the sheer majesty of the blade. It shone with a sort of magical energy that emanated from an unknown source. The purple hilt seemed to be calling him to take it. "It's… The Master Sword."

She nodded gravely. "The Blade of Evil's Bane. When the hero took it, he opened the door to the Sacred Realm, allowing the evil to penetrate it and transform Hyrule into a hellish nightmare. When he finally awoke as the Hero of Time, he had to gather five medallions from the Sages. Once that was done, he scaled the highest tower in the castle, killed the evil responsible, and saved the princess. She then sent him back in time, and… Well, you know the rest."

He looked at her intensely. "Zelda, who was the great evil? Who caused the downfall of Hyrule?" He felt himself dreading the answer for some inexplicable reason.

"Ganondorf."

A shiver ran down his spine and he unconsciously clutched the Master Sword's hilt. It faintly hummed with an age-old energy. Zelda took no notice. "I found a song written behind the Spiritual Stones on the wall. Listen." She put the ocarina to her lips and started to play.

The notes drifted hauntingly throughout the small space, filling them both with a longing they did not understand. Link closed his eyes, engulfed in the magic. In the deep recesses of his mind, he saw rolling hills and a deep lake, a craggy mountain encircled by clouds and finally a majestic castle with white stone walls. He could see a blonde princess squeal with happiness as he agreed to help her, but he also saw the horror on her face as she fled her home. He saw later the look of amazement on a red-haired woman as he leapt over a ranch wall, taking a horse with him he knew somehow to be named Epona.

Link knew his mind was stirring with the faded, checkered memories of a past life long and forever gone. As the song ended, he shivered again. "Zelda… What was that song?"

"The Song of Time, I think." She looked down at the ocarina. "What are we going to do about this stuff? Now that I know it's here, I feel like I can't just let it sit…"

"I don't think we have a choice. We don't want history to repeat itself, do we?"

"No, but… I know!" She grabbed the Stones after giving Link the ocarina. "We can put the emerald in the Forest tree-temple thingy, and we give the ruby to the Gorons to do something with, and we put the sapphire in the giant fish underwater! That way, nobody will either find them or steal them."

"And the Ocarina? And the sword?"

"We'll keep the Ocarina here, with me. It's a Royal Family heirloom anyway. As for the sword…" She looked at it warily. "I'll commission for a Temple to be built. We'll have our very own Temple of Time, Link, only it'll just be for keeping the Master Sword safe."

He smiled slightly. "You think that'll be safe?"

"Of course! It'll be fine, Link. Trust me." She jerked her head toward the glass case. "Put the Ocarina back so we can get these Stones where they belong."

He placed it on the red velvet cushion and slid the top on. As they walked through the door, it slid shut behind them. "Zelda, how did this stuff even get down here?"

"Not sure. Maybe Niko knows." She led him back through the storage to the main hallways.

Link thought again of the memories he apparently had that were from at least two hundred years ago. He, or at least he in a past life, saved Hyrule…just for it to be destroyed. "Zelda!" He called suddenly, feeling that perhaps their plan would only make things worse.

"Hm?" She turned to him, her blue eyes shining as brightly as the sapphire she held.

"N… Never mind."

She shrugged and kept walking. He followed slowly, wishing he held the Master Sword. Somehow it made him feel better, especially now that he couldn't quite get the name of Ganondorf from his head. He felt as if he could feel the cold gaze of an invisible man, this "Ganondorf", on him as he walked through the castle of New Hyrule. "Zelda."

She stopped and whirled around. "What is it, Link? And you'd better have an answer this time!"

"When you played that song, the Song of Time… Did you…see anything?"

"See anything? Like what? You standing in front of me? Then yes, I _definitely_ saw something."

He blonde Hylian shook his head. "No, Zelda, I meant… Did you see a memory? Only it wasn't your memory; it was someone else's memory."

She suddenly grew very quiet. With a slow nod, she looked up at him. "I did. I saw myself, only… It wasn't me. But I saw me, her, _whoever_ it was in this great big expanse of clouds or something with…you."

"With me?"

"Yes! She was playing the Ocarina… But anyway, we have to get going. I want to at least get to the Lost Woods by nightfall. Now that we've wasted enough time talking about strange daydreams… Let's go."

Link could tell she was frightened, perhaps, of the memory that didn't belong to her. He didn't blame her. It was very discomfiting to see something that apparently you experienced centuries ago. He wanted to ask her one last question before he would change the subject, hopefully forever, from their ancient selves. "Do you think Ganondorf will return?"

She nearly dropped a Spiritual Stone. "Link! What kind of question is that?"

"Answer it, Zelda; I know you know the answer." He gripped her upper arm tightly. "Answer it."

She bit her lip before taking a deep breath. "Yes, Link. He'll be back. Was it not just one hundred years ago that he made an attempt on my grandparents' lives? They didn't kill him; they encased him in stone at the bottom of the ocean. He may not come back for ten years, or fifty, or a hundred, or even a hundred thousand; but he'll be back." She held up the ruby. "And I feel that by hiding these stones we can stave him off for longer."

"Even though it was these exact stones he wanted in order to take over Hyrule?"

"Yes. He won't be expecting that we would do the same thing. Link, please… Believe me. You do believe me, don't you?"

A nagging image crept into his head. For a split second he saw a young girl, no older than ten, pleading him the same question. "You believe me, right?" She begged, looking at him with such large blue eyes that he felt himself giving in.

And in the present, he nodded. "Yes, Zelda. I believe you."

"Great!"

Link watched her skip ahead, humming the Song of Time to herself softly. He wished again for the Master Sword in his hand, because for once he didn't feel safe at all. Though he knew he could protect himself, and his princess, he wanted the extra assurance. He wanted to hear the eerily familiar _shink_ as it slid from a sheath, the very sound he could hear if he thought hard enough. _Some things transcend even time…_ He began to follow, his long strides making it easy to catch up with her. _But where He is involved… Is what we're doing enough?_


	2. Horses

He watched her ease down to her bedroll by the fire. "Harder going to the dungeons when you're alive, isn't it?"

She groaned as she stretched, her muscles protesting against even the tiniest of movements. "Shut up, Link…"

He merely chuckled. "Well, one Spiritual Stone stored away; two to go."

"We would've gotten to at least the Gorons if you hadn't kept asking questions…"

He decided to ignore her comment and change the subject. "I still can't believe you even got permission to do this."

Zelda rolled onto her stomach. "Permission, sure…"

"You mean to tell me you didn't even tell anyone you were leaving?"

"Eh… They'll live."

"Zel, I know it's been a few years—"

"Five, actually."

"—since the incident, but you have to get it into your head that they're going to freak out every time you go missing!"

She snorted through her nose, raising an eyebrow. "Hmph. They'll be fine. Discussion over."

The two Hylians laid in silence, staring at the stars above them. Link began to hum a tune softly. As he did so, he felt a strange sense of familiarity. He suddenly longed for the rush of wind in his hair, the kind that a train can't give. He wanted to hear the steady beat of hooves beneath him, and the feeling of being the only one in the whole world as he rode across the rolling hills and fields of his beloved Hyrule.

"Zelda…" He whispered tersely. "Zelda, are you awake?"

"I am now." She rolled over to look at him. "What is it?"

He took a deep breath. "Do you think, maybe… We could get horses?"

"Horses?"

"Yeah! Horses, for traveling…"

She glanced at the Spirit Train. "Isn't that was trains are for? Isn't that part of the reason we risked our _lives_ five years ago?"

"W-well… Trains can only go where the tracks lead them and only go one way. Horses can go almost anywhere and they have more mobility. Besides, the more people there are in Hyrule, the more trains we'll need… Horses are cheaper."

She nodded tiredly. "I'll put it to some serious consideration."

"Epona…"

"Hm?"

He smiled. "That's what I'll name my horse: Epona."

"That's pretty, I guess…"

The Hero of the Spirits continued to gaze at the stars as he thought about someday owning a grand horse, his Epona, and galloping all over Hyrule without a care in the world. "Zelda, I— Oh." He saw that she was fast asleep.

Her blonde hair cascaded loosely over her shoulder and her arm, which currently served as her pillow. He reached down to brush some stray hair from her face. She stirred slightly, a small moan slipping between her lips. In his mind he knew watching the Princess sleep was a bad idea; yet he couldn't help himself. There was just something about the whole situation that made him keep his gaze stuck to the young woman.

Link looked up at the stars again, the never-changing heavens, and sighed. He felt…happy to be in the middle of nowhere with the Princess. It was a joy to watch over her, knowing that, though she insisted she could take care of herself, he knew she couldn't. But he let her believe and remained her hero, just like always.

* * *

 _"So this is where you got her, hm?" The Princess looked around daintily. "Very nice."_

 _The Hero of Time nodded furiously, taking her hand in his own. "Come on, you've got to meet Malon!"_

 _"Malon…?" She allowed herself to be dragged toward the large corral._

 _The two of them walked up to a young woman with fiery hair. She waved once she saw them. "Hi Link!" She greeted, smiling. "And… Oh! Your Highness!" She quickly curtsied in respect._

 _Zelda laughed lightly. "Please, you're fine. We came today for, well…a horse."_

 _"Then you've come to the right spot." Malon gestured behind her. "Here at Lon Lon Ranch, we've got all the milk, Cuccoos, and horses your heart can desire!"_

 _"Indeed you do…" She cleared her throat. "All we need is a horse today."_

 _Malon led them to the corral gate. "For loan or for keeps?"_

 _"I'm hoping to purchase one…" The Princess looked interestingly at the horses._

 _"Then take your pick." She opened the door and ushered the two others inside. "Or maybe the horse will pick you like Epona did with Link."_

 _Zelda walked through the corral, picking her steps carefully as she observed the animals. "I'm afraid I don't have much experience in this!" She called to Malon._

 _"That's all right. You'll know which one you want when you see it."_

 _Suddenly Zelda felt a warm breath on her neck. She stiffened, a cry of surprise caught in her throat. Only when her assailant began to nibble on her pointed ear did she whirl around. "Stop that!" She ordered roughly, shocked to find herself staring into two large brown eyes._

 _Link ran over to her. "What's going on?"_

 _"This horse decided he wanted to make a meal of me…" She wiped the horse saliva from her ear with a grimace._

 _"That just means he likes you."_

 _"Does, huh?" She tentatively pressed her hand to the horse's nose. He leaned into her touch. "This one then. I choose this one."_

 _Link looked over the brilliant white horse. "What's his name?"_

 _She smiled slightly. "Nohansen."_

* * *

Zelda leaned against the side of the cab of the train, watching him. "Link, I was thinking about your request…"

He looked up to wipe some beads of sweat from his brow. Stoking fires in the Fire Realm was never a cool thing. He noted that the Princess looked at least comfortable in her white tunic and leggings. "About the horses?"

"Yes. I think horses would be a marvelous idea. As soon as we finish this little quest, I'll commission a temple to be built and horses to be sent after. Of course, we'll need a ranch to keep them in… And a rancher."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Having someone new in Hyrule would be interesting."

She looked around absently, as if preoccupied. He noticed now her hand was clenched protectively around the pouch slung across her shoulders, which held the last Spiritual Stone. "Did you have another memory?"

She winced visibly before looking at him. "I was with you and another woman; Malon, I think her name was. I was picking out a horse of my own." She smiled somewhat bitterly. "Named him Nohansen."

"That's definitely an interesting name." Link put the train into high gear. "We should be at the Ocean Realm eventually. Before twilight, I'd say."

"That's good. The sooner all of these old artifacts are put away the better. They're beginning to affect my mind."

"I know what you mean… I don't like remembering things I've never done." He looked out ahead. "Sometimes I feel like I'm dreaming, like I'm going to wake up and be in that time in the past."

"You're not the Hero of Time. Not in this generation, anyway. Just keep telling yourself that. You're the Hero of the Spirits. The Hero of Time is long dead. And so is the Princess of Destiny." She touched his arm lightly with her right hand, the faded mark of the Triforce visible on her pale skin. "We may be their descendants, but we're not them."

He glanced at her hand. "I know." Link closed his eyes with a quick sigh. "I know…"

"Good. Now drive on, Link; I'm tired of Death Mountain."

"If we had horses it'd be faster…"

"You'll get your horses eventually! Just drive!" Zelda crossed her arms and turned away from him.

He smiled as he pulled the whistle rope. "As you wish, Princess."


End file.
